White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross Emphasizes a Mindset Shift on Cyber in Conversation with USTelecom CEO Jonathan Spalter

March 9, 2026

Washington, D.C. (March 9, 2026) - In his first public remarks since the release of the President's Cyber Strategy for America, White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross pledged a fundamental "mindset shift" in how the federal government approaches cybersecurity. Over the course of an in-depth conversation with USTelecom President and CEO Jonathan Spalter, Cairncross emphasized that stronger collaboration with the private sector is essential for the strategy's success.

Cairncross outlined the need to treat cyberspace as a strategic domain where adversaries can no longer operate without consequence. He underscored that America's privately owned critical infrastructure, which include telecommunications networks, sits on the front lines of this contested and vitally important domain.

During the discussion, Cairncross discussed the importance of stronger government-industry partnership to protect critical infrastructure, improve information sharing, and streamline regulatory requirements so companies can focus resources on defending networks and responding to incidents.

"We're not looking to push a compliance checklist on to industry so that the government can essentially blame shift and say 'well you didn't do enough' - we're looking to work together and say 'what do we need to do to better protect industry from foreign adversaries and criminals, and how can we create space for the industry to react?'" Cairncross said.

Spalter welcomed the focus on partnership and stressed the telecommunications industry's commitment to working closely with the administration to implement the strategy's goals.

The conversation also highlighted priorities including strengthening cyber workforce development, securing emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, accelerating deployment of new defensive technologies, and improving coordination between government and industry during cyber incidents. Both leaders emphasized that continued communication between the federal government and critical infrastructure providers will be essential to delivering measurable results and strengthening America's cybersecurity posture.

Watch the conversation at ustelecom.org/2026-cyber-event/.

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